Support your Troops!!!!

Or it should read, "Your troops support you."

I volunteer, at a local lagoon in San Diego county, called Batiquitos Lagoon. (Great place, send money, they need it.)In fact, I'm not even an official volunteer, but my dad is on the board, and he needs help sometimes; opening the nature center, or organizing the volunteers for habitat rehab,weed whacking, trail maintenance and such.

Yesterday was the big "first of the month", volunteer-weed-whacking-work-day. We had a huge turnout, over 30 people. Of those 30 people about 10 of them were Marines from two of the local bases. Pendleton and Miramar.

As I pulled out non-native pest plants, I listened to them talk. It was fascinating. A few had been to Iraq, one to Afghanistan. I won't get into that, but besides listening to them talk, I watched them work.

Some of the other volunteers are simply there to get some credits for school, or work off community service hours, often, they are slackers.The Marines, get credit for the hours they work. But, the difference was that the Marines worked hard. With a smile.

They all got down and dirty pulling out invasive non-native plants. In fact, because it was raining, and generally sh*tty, I told them they could take off early, and they refused. They said they weren't done, and wanted to stay until they could finish.

I was so proud of them. These young men and women, many who have been gone for a long time, spending a rainy, San-Diego-style-cold, Saturday, pulling weeds. And of the ten there, all ten asked if they could come back.

I wanted to hug them all.

Oh, and of the 4 cars they drove there, all 4 had, "Support our Troops" magnets. Seems since the left sneers at such open displays of support, they've taken it upon themselves to show themselves support. While they support us all, by helping keep our way of life, our freedom, and working to maintain a beautiful lagoon, where White Pelicans dance over the water and Osprey soar through the air.